General Mills says no more GMOs in Cheerios

General Mills will no longer use genetically modified ingredients in its Cheerios cereal.

General Mills will no longer use genetically modified ingredients in its Cheerios cereal. (Mark Lennihan / Associated Press)

Jenn Harris

General Mills announced Thursday that it will no longer use genetically modified ingredients (GMOs) in its Cheerios breakfast cereal, and says the cereal will taste the same.

The company says the cereal formula has not changed, only the way its ingredients are handled and sourced. Cheerios have always been made with no GMO oats but the small amount of corn starch used will now come from non-GMO corn and the sugar, non-GMO pure cane sugar.

GMOs are foods that have been scientifically altered to tolerate herbicides. Some believe this process can cause health problems and environmental damage.

Cheerios will now have the words "not made with genetically modified ingredients" printed on the boxes.

"Why change anything at all?" asked General Mills vice president of global communications Tom Forsythe in a blog post. "It’s simple. We did it because we think consumers may embrace it."

Forsythe claims the move was not brought on by public pressure or by safety concerns and referred to an earlier statement outlining the company's stance on GMO ingredients.